Production planner

A production planner performs strategic, tactical and operational planning tasks for production. He plans orders and input components & materials and provides the relevant work documents. He breaks the production process down into operations such as the planning of transport, material flows and throughout times, optimising the use of resources. Moreover, he calculates the production costs for new projects and offers advice on the basic plan for the production lines in the factory.

Another area of production planning is manufacturing planning. A manufacturing planner is concerned with the manufacturing aspects of start-up projects, from the customer query through to mass production. He establishes the basic guidelines for the manufacturing structure and process. He is responsible for the timely implementation of the manufacturing concept in respect of cost and quality. He works closely with other specialist departments, thus optimising the product for mass production. He also negotiates machinery specifications with suppliers. At the start of mass production, he solves problems and instructs the production line staff.